15 internet reactions to Warner Bros. axing Batgirl as fans question The Flash and Morbius
In a surprising twist of events, Warner Bros. will no longer be releasing Batgirl, the DC film which had finished shooting months ago and was expected to arrive on HBO Max this year.
Starring Leslie Grace as Batgirl, Michael Keaton as Batman, JK Simmons as Commissioner Gordon and featuring Brendan Fraser’s return to Hollywood as the villain, Firefly, the much-anticipated film was in test screenings as directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah reportedly worked through its post-production phase. So why did Warner Bros. suddenly decide to scrap the movie which was nearly completed and gaining traction among fans for its star-studded cast and crew?
According to sources obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, the unusual move comes after a change in leadership at Warner Bros., with new Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav “prioritising cost-cutting measures and refocusing Warners on creating theatrical films rather than projects for streaming.”
The publication went on to note how Batgirl was budgeted at around $80 million, while costs rose to nearly $90 million due to COVID-19 protocols. Though this is a huge sum, it’s significantly lower than other DC theatrical releases. Thus the film in question was claimed to not have the “spectacle” that audiences typically expect from DC fare.
The New York Post further mentioned how the test screenings were said to be so poorly received by moviegoers that the studio decided to “cut its losses and run,” for the sake of its future. “It’s a DC disaster,” the publication wrote, with a source stating: “They think an unspeakable Batgirl is going to be irredeemable.”
While Warner Bros. has also decided to axe the animated feature Scoob!: Holiday Haunt, which had a budget somewhere in the $40 million range, several DC fans have taken to Twitter and voiced their frustration with the studio. Some users equated the film’s status to the fact that DC and Sony Entertainment went ahead with Ezra Miller’s The Flash (set to be released in 2023) and Jared Leto’s Morbius (embarrassingly released twice across theatres) respectively, despite blatant evidence of problematic and predatory behaviour displayed by both the main leads. Meanwhile, others were quick to admit how the entire cast and crew of Batgirl were robbed and deserved better.
Here are 15 noteworthy internet reactions to the announcement, ultimately urging DC to #ReleaseBatgirl:
1. It’s been a rough year for DC fans
Warner Brothers Discovery after spending $90 million dollars on #Batgirl pic.twitter.com/9EpAPkxZ77
— BLURAYANGEL 🦇 (@blurayangel) August 3, 2022
2. Write it off… the face of the Earth
Leaked footage of WB executives discussing what to do about Batgirl pic.twitter.com/DZMTLkpmlk
— Thel 🏳️⚧️🦌 (@EPM106) August 3, 2022
3. Rightly so
4. Where is the lie?
5. Make it make sense
WB not cancelling The Flash after all the Ezra Miller bullshit but they cancel Batgirl????? HUH?????
— yehu ✡︎ (@comicyehu) August 2, 2022
6. Did I mention that it was released twice?
We are living in a society where Morbius was in theaters not once, but TWICE, and Batgirl can’t even get an HBO Max debut.
— The Green Kasey 🎃 (@RawbertBeef) August 3, 2022
7. Let that sink in
Rock got booed at SDCC, Super Pets underperformed, Ben Affleck came back as Batman and now Batgirl got cancelled. All this happened in last 10 days.
— Armughan Ahmad (@armughan03) August 2, 2022
8. A sad reminder
If it wasn't cancelled, Batgirl would have been:
— Toganium (@toganium) August 3, 2022
-One of the first, if not the first, superhero movies with a latina actress as the lead
-One of the first superhero movies with a trans person playing a trans person
-BRENDAN FRASER'S RETURN TO THE BIG SCREEN!
9. *wink wink*
If any disgruntled WB employee *wink wink* has the .mp4 for the Batgirl movie *wink wink* do us all a favor and “accidentally” post it *wink wink*
— yehu ✡︎ (@comicyehu) August 2, 2022
10. An unsung hero
11. Telegram, here we come!
Can't wait for Batgirl.2023.1080p.WEBrip.X265
— HiTop Alex (@HiTopFilms) August 3, 2022
to be the best superhero flick of the year.
12. The incomplete VFX will be part of its charm too
Batgirl is going to just become an incredibly rare piece of lost media that will show up with incomplete VFX on YouTube or Vimeo in like 5 years.
— Cade Onder (@Cade_Onder) August 2, 2022
13. #ReleaseBatgirl
She was so excited for Batgirl… pic.twitter.com/HKKfw7hiN1
— PattyNest (@PattyNest) August 2, 2022
14. Leslie Grace deserves better
It’s so horrible seeing people commenting a lot of awful stuff to Leslie about the Batgirl cancelation on her last Instagram post pic.twitter.com/vYTkKHvMRJ
— Skyknight 🏳️🌈 (@SkyknightLCG) August 3, 2022
15. TWICE
Marvel Studios: Buckle up because we’re releasing SEVENTY-THREE MOVIES next year!
— The Green Kasey 🎃 (@RawbertBeef) August 3, 2022
Sony: Go see Morbius. Go see Morbius again.
WB: Batgirl’s cancelled btw.
